Lever.



UNITED STATES PATENT oEEIoE.

BENJAMIN H. WITHERBEE, OF ItED CLOUD,NEBRASKA.

LEVER.

T0 allwhom t may concern y Be it known that I, BENJAMIN H. VVr/"rrral` ERBEE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Red Cloud, in the county of. Vebster and State of Nebraska, havefin-` vented certain new and useful Improve,- ments in Levers, of which the following a specification, reference being had to the useful improvements in levers, and the aim of my invention is to improve the`construction and operation of that class of levers used to control by hand or otherwise, the movement of a brake beam; the mechanism?. to start and reverse an engine, or to reciprocate a movable member actuated by amanually operated lever.

out departing from the spirit of the inven.-

To this end my invention consists in conl structing a frame `carrying a lever, the .up-b per end of which is capable of being exed, and which carries a 4detent normally in frictional engagement with an arcuate bar, with means to release said detent.

lVith these and other objects in view, thev present invention consists in the combination and arrangement of .parts as will be hereinafter more fully described and finally pointed out in the appended claims, it being further understood that changes in the specific structure shown and described may be made within the scope of the claims, withtion.

In the accompanying drawings forming al part of this specification and in which like numerals of reference indicate similar parts in the several views: Figure 1, shows a plan view of a lever constructed according to my invention. Fig. 2, shows a top view with. part-s removed. Fig. 3, shows an edge View partly in section.

In my'present invention I provide a lever, i

which is normally held in locked position, but which can be easily thrown backward or forward to any desired Ipoint, where the le ver will remain locked.

In the accompanying drawings, I have shown at 1, a base member carrying the pivot 2. Secured t0 the ends of this base member 1, is a locking bar 3, with an inner edge 4, in an arc of a circle. Held pivotally upon the member 2, .is a lever, the lower portion 5, of which has an opening to receive the bolt 2, while above and below the bolt are the openings 6 and 5', which are adapted Specification of Letters Patent.

Application 1aed Deemer so, 1913. seriai No. 809,511.

,intermediate of its ends spring pressed or Patented Oct. 19, 1915.

to receive an operating bar connected to a brake beam, or to any other mechanism which itis desired to operate. The upper end 7,' of the lever ends in a handle, while this lever is pro- 8. In the drawas made of a bar,

vided with a flexible part ings the lever is shown "which at the point 8, is twisted at right accompanying drawings. 1.,.. This invention relates to certain new andlcured to the lower lever part 5, is a detent 9,'wl1ich has thevends 1Q, and 11 extending vapproximately at right angles to one another, and these ends 8 are normally in frictional engagement lijviththe inner edge l, of the arcuate locking ar As`-sliown in Figs. 2 and 3, the lever portion 7, is arranged to slide againstone face of the locking bar 3. Secured to the upper portion 7, of the lever, isa striker plate 12, having the notches 13 and 14, located adjacent to the "end 10 and 1l. In order to hold the upper levfe end 7, to the arcuate member 3, I employ a. pin 15, Awhich is bent at right angles to slidably hold the lever to the member 3. The detent 9, is of flexible material, .and in securing 'the same to the lever the ends l0 and 11, are sprung outward so that after the detent C, is secured the ends 10, andll, are in spring pressed contact with the inner circular edge Ll, of the member 3.

greater the strain upon the lever, the more firmly is the lever held.

-In order to actuate the lever, it is merely necessary to disconnect the detent upon the side toward which the lever is tilted. Should it be necessary to tilt the lever in the direction ofthe arrow a?, the operator would merely exert sufficient pressure upon the upper end 7, to flex this end to bring the notch 13 into engagement with the detent 10, which would result in thisdetent being released permitting the lever-being tilted. The opposite detent 11, would readily slide over the inner arcuate edge l.. The notches 13 and 14, not'only serve to engage the detents, but they also serve as a stop, limiting the movement o the flexed end of the lever. As soon as the pressure is removed the flexed end of thev lever automatically alines itself, to instantly lock the detent. The operatin\in a direction opposite the arrow a,

4wou-lddae exactly similar.

\ From the 'foregoing it will be seen that the` lever an\be locked at any desired point.

l/Vhile/have shown the lever provided with an `integral liexible partk 8, it is of course derstood that the inembers- 5` and 7, could be separate a'ncl,clistinct and have an interposed flexible nienibe1\8p A lever, constructed according to my 1nvention is simpfe a1 d inexpensive in construction and/both `urable z d efficient in operation", and the adjustmen s of the lever in either direction may be aile/@ted with ease, accuracy and despatch. f

Having thus described my said invention, what yZliclaim as new, and desireto secure by United States Letters Patent is:

l. In combination, a pivotally supported lever having a exible part intermediate/ 0i' its ends, a locl ing bar with an inner edge in an arc of a circ/le, a detent secured to said lever below7 s ai flexible part having opposite ends 1n frlctionalengagement with said inner edge, and a striker plate secured to said lever above said flexible part the ends of which are notched, said striker arranged to engage said detent to disengage the same, said notches engaging said detent to limit the movement of the flexed endof said lever. y

2. ln a device vof the character described, a pivotally supported lever comprising a liat bar which at a point intermediate of its ends is twisted at right anglesto provide a /lexible part, a locking bar with an. inner edge in an arc of a circle, a detent secured to said lever below said flexible part having opposite ends in frietional engagement with said inner'` edge, and a striker plate secured to said lever above said flexible part the ends of which are notched, said striker arranged to engagesaid detent to disengage the same, said notches engaging said detent to limit the movement of the flexed end of said lever.

In testimony whereof I ailix my signature, in the presence of two Witnesses.

/ BENJAMIN H. VITHERBEE. `Witnesses W. H. RosENcRANs, P. S. SHERWOOD. 

